Find out how popular the last name Bacay is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Bacay.

Bacay, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Bacay surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Bacay in America

Bacay is the 157234th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Bacay surname appeared 103 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Bacay.

The history of the last name Bacay

The surname BACAY has its origins in the Philippines. It first emerged in the 16th century during the Spanish colonial period in the Visayas region of the central Philippines.

BACAY is believed to have derived from the Visayan word "bakay," which means "a place overgrown with trees or shrubs." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to a person who lived in or came from a forested area.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name BACAY can be found in the "Libro de Tributos" (Book of Tributes), a historic document compiled by Spanish colonial authorities in the late 1500s. This record listed individuals and families subject to paying tribute, including those with the surname BACAY.

During the Spanish colonial era, the name BACAY was also documented in various church records and baptismal registers maintained by Catholic missionaries in the Visayas region. These records often provide insights into the locations and communities where individuals with this surname resided.

Notable individuals throughout history who bore the surname BACAY include:

1. Juan BACAY (c. 1630-1695), a respected community leader and landowner in the town of Siaton, Negros Oriental.
2. Maria BACAY (c. 1750-1820), a renowned healer and herbalist from the island of Cebu, renowned for her knowledge of traditional medicines.
3. Pedro BACAY (1810-1878), a prominent farmer and entrepreneur who established one of the first successful abaca plantations in Leyte.
4. Catalina BACAY (1855-1935), a respected educator and activist who advocated for women's rights and education in the late 19th century.
5. Julio BACAY (1890-1962), a renowned artist and sculptor whose works captured the cultural traditions and rural life of the Visayas region.

The name BACAY has also been associated with various place names throughout the Visayas, reflecting the historical presence of families bearing this surname in different localities. For example, there is a barangay (village) called Bacay in the town of Dauin, Negros Oriental, and another in the municipality of Maasin, Southern Leyte.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Bacay

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Bacay.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Bacay was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Bacay was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Bacay, please contact us.

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